How to survive the college application process... if you're not a perfect Asian student.

Whether you like it or not, chances are if you're an incoming senior in high school, you're going to go through college application mania sometime soon. Yes even I still remember my time during college app mania, with the late nights, the cursing of higher education, and the breath-taking moments right before I clicked "Submit" and sent off my application for review. If your grades aren't perfect, don't worry, there's still hope for you too! Keep reading because some of these tips are especially important to remind the colleges that grades are NOT the most important thing in the world. Sadly, most of this generally doesn't apply to UC's, where it's mostly a numbers game. Berkeley and Los Angeles have a slightly more holistic system, but it's nowhere near as forgiving as private schools about your grades.

So here you are, a senior. Three long years of hard work have landed you here, but one of the most stressful times of your high school career is rolling up soon. Looking back, I think that it wasn't so bad, in the end, I was accepted into UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, Tulane University, Boston University, and the University of Notre Dame. Hopefully I'll be able to help you get through this rough time with as little pain as possible. Read on if you want to see some of my tips and opinions from my own college application experience...

1. One thing that I can't stress enough is don't take the easy way out of high school. No matter how inclined you may feel to take a lighter class load, don't. This is especially true if your grades aren't pristine. I know you'll be burned out and ready to quit, but don't. For some colleges, seeing that you're still opting for the more challenging route your senior year could be that life boat that keeps you in the applicant pool. This doesn't mean that you'll be accepted, you'll just possibly last longer while they consider you for a spot in the accepted pool.
   
2. It's a little late to say it at this point, but do things in high school because you have a passion for it, not because it'll buff up your resume. Of course there's a fine line between doing things that you have a passion for and not doing anything at all. But generally it helps more to be very involved in one or two particular clubs, and use those as anchors for extracurriculars. For instance, my favorite club in high school was Future Business Leaders of America, and while I didn't go past local level in terms of being an officer, I did get far in the competitive events (State and Nationals).
3. Be a well rounded person! At this point more than ever, I think colleges are looking for well rounded people. It's no longer the most important thing for you to have straight A's and a 2400 on your SAT. My personal opinion is that you have to show the college that you belong there. That you'll be able to contribute to the society on campus through not only your academics, but your athletics, your social skills, and your overall personality as a human being.
   
4. In regards to number three on this list, your chance to show colleges who you are is through your essays/interviews. This is important! Your essays can be the thing that pushes you over the edge from an applicant to an accepted applicant. These are two more very important lifelines for students who don't have straight A's. It's your chance to shine not just as a student, but as a human being. So focus on showing who you are, in an eloquent way that doesn't sound fake. Should be easy right?
   
5. Your SAT score doesn't matter as much as you may think. 2000/2100+ is a good goal. I ended up getting a 2150 after my first test. I was disappointed at first but I never got around to retaking it, and I turned out fine. Don't place too much emphasis on this or freak out about it. Some people are more naturally adept at standardized testing, so keep that in mind. Also, if the SAT's not your thing, try out the ACT, it might suit you better, (I never took it so I wouldn't know though.)
6. Get good recommendation letters. I didn't really get the benefit of this point, but I mention it because I think it would really help to show your personality from someone else's point of view. So connect with your teachers, or your boss at work, don't grovel or kiss butt, but be memorable. I think that's the key actually, if you're memorable (in a good way of course), then you make it a lot easier for whoever's writing your recommendation to make it not sound generic.
7. Lastly, don't be afraid to apply Early Action or possibly Early Decision to your reach or dream schools. Remember, Early Action is non-binding, this means that you're not obligated to attend the university if you were to get accepted, you just find out earlier and in my opinion you may have a slightly higher chance of getting in. On the other hand, Early Decision is binding, and so I'd only recommend this if you know for sure that you want to go to the school you're applying to.

So that basically wraps up my thoughts and tips on the application process. Remember, if you don't have perfect grades, it's not the end of the world. You definitely need to make up for it during the application process through your essays and interviews however. Remember that you are a human being, you are not your test scores. So show that to the colleges that you're applying to. Hopefully this short list will help you keep your sanity in the coming months. So good luck to you, class of 2010, and may your college application experience be a fruitful one.